


The Order Of The Lion

by Snugglebuttkitten



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: A lot - Freeform, Cerberus - Freeform, Dechma for lyfe, Female Rivalry, Gen, Glam Glider, Harbinger - Freeform, I swear I'll make you ship them by the time im done, Lion Kwami - Freeform, Master Fu Atones For His Mistakes, Master Fu's Past, Nima x Dechen are my otp in this, Nima x Marinette butt heads, OC POV, Raven Kwami, Sugar Glider Kwami, The Order Of The Lion, The Order Vs Team Miraculous, chimera, wolf kwami - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2020-10-24 15:31:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20708345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snugglebuttkitten/pseuds/Snugglebuttkitten
Summary: Master Fu thought he could leave his past in the past after Feast was defeated. He is sorely mistaken. Those left behind in Tibet know what transpired one hundred and seventy-two years ago, and they fully intend to make Master Fu atone for his sins. And no one, not Ladybug or Chat Noir or even Hawkmoth will stand in their way.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired by Feast, so this will contain some spoilers from Season Three, but I will try to keep them as much to a minimum as possible.

Wang Fu came to a halt, breathing unevenly as he turned to face down the demon that had haunted him for one hundred and eighty years now. There was nowhere left to run. He was too old to outrun the monster, too old to even transform now. It was high time he faced his past mistakes head on. Frowning at the grinning blue blob of the akumatized Sentimonster, Wang allowed his gaze to slide towards the Kwami who had stood by his side for all of these years now. “Farewell, my dear Wayzz. You’re the best Kwami I could have ever hoped to have by my side all these years,” he said, as the Turtle Kwami hovered before his face.

“It has been an honor to be your Kwami, Master,” Wayzz said, just as formal as he always was. Feast inched closer as Wang faced forward once more, closing his eyes and clutching the Miraculous Box closer to his chest. He waited for the Sentimonster’s tongue to scoop him and Wayzz up, but it never came. Instead, the creature suddenly burst into blue bubbles, revealing Chat Noir and Ladybug standing where the creature one had. An Akuma and one of Mayura’s feathers fluttered before them, waiting to be purified.

“No more evildoing for you… Time to de-evilize!” Ladybug recited, drawing her finger over her Yo-Yo before letting it drop in front of her like a pendulum. She swung it a few times before whipping it out to catch both darkened objects in one fell swoop, the now closed Yo-Yo landing in her hand once more. “Bye-bye, little butterfly,” she said, watching the butterfly flutter away before grabbing the metal detector and hoisting it into the air. With a cry of ‘Miraculous Ladybug,’ the world was once again set right and Ladybug and Chat Noir once again shared their signature fist bump, this time with Master Fu, pleased with a job well done.

Dropping his hand to place it on the side of the Miracle box, Master Fu smiled at the two Superheroes. “Thank you, Ladybug. Because of you, I won’t have to run anymore.”

“I only put your teaching to practice, Master,” Ladybug said with a soft smile before the beeping of their Miraculouses drew her gaze to her leather-clad partner.

“I know two people who better run before they transform back,” Chat said, glancing up from his ring to meet Ladybug’s gaze.

“Goodbye, Master,” Ladybug said before she and Chat Noir fled the scene, eager to find somewhere secure to transform back into their Civilian selves.

  
  
  


_ Deep in the Tibetan Mountains, as the full moon rose in the otherwise inky black sky, the mysterious temple that had disappeared one hundred and seventy-two years ago stirred to life. Like shadows themselves, men and women wearing robes of red, gold, and white rose silently from their beds and made their way to the heart of the temple, to a room they typically used for prayer and meditation purposes. They filed through the ornate golden doors, forming rings around the dark room without so much as a word until the last of the stragglers had found their place within. The room normally filled with light and warmth from the open skylight above was nearly pitch black, the only light coming from the pool of moonlight that fell down upon the very center of the room like a spotlight, showing off the insignia of the Order of the Guardians. For a long while, the room was silent save for the occasional rustle of robes as the members of the temple shifted from foot to foot, each wondering which of their leaders would address them tonight. It seemed like hours, but was likely merely minutes, before the gong sounded through the room, bouncing and echoing and reverberating through the room until each and every member of the Order could feel the soundwaves down to their very bones. _

_ Those gathered collectively held their breaths and it was so quiet, one probably could have heard a pin drop. Then, footsteps. While not as loud or intense as the gong, they were unmistakable as they approached the center of the room, and then there was a man standing within the pool of moonlight. His identity was hidden by the heavy, ornate robes that he wore, hood pulled up so that his face was merely a pool of blackness. But the shadows did nothing to prevent his voice from reaching those even at the furthest edge of the room. He had a deep, powerful voice; the kind of voice that just made you want to stop and listen to what the speaker had to say, and that’s exactly what the room’s other occupants did. Each and every one of them stood frozen in place, riveted to the speaker at the center of the room. _

_ “Guardians of the Miraculous, a great disservice had been done to us. One of our own betrayed us. He destroyed our home, our people, and regardless of how we have been returned to our former glory, the fact remains that he must atone for his sins.” A murmur of agreement rippled through the room like a tidal wave, but it did nothing to stop the man from continuing his speech. “We have reason to believe that the culprit is hiding in France. Our sources say that several of our lost Miraculous have been activated there, and it is for that reason that I petition the rest of our Leaders to send in the Order of the Lion,” he said firmly. This time, the ripple of voices that followed were only half in agreement. Others seemed less than enthused by his idea. Some were more vocal than others. _

_ “Are you insane? They’re just children! We can’t send them all the way to France to fight trained Miraculous Users!” A new voice cried out, and another robed figure stepped into the light. Her petite figure and higher voice easily identified her as female. Several people in the crowd murmured their agreement with her assessment, others immediately voiced their protests. _

_ “The Order has been trained as well. They’re our best bet at retrieving the Miraculous.” _

_ “They might have been trained, but that was almost two centuries ago! We can’t expect them to remember all their teachings.” _

_ “What else can we do? We don’t have any other chosen!” More and more people chimed in, each taking sides until a new voice chimed in and another figure stepped forward. Unlike the rest, the newcomer’s hood was pooled around her shoulders, allowing her thick golden locks to shimmer as she stepped into the pool of moonlight. _

_ “With all due respect, Masters, I believe it should be up to the Order of The Lion to ultimately decide whether or not we wish to go to France and retrieve the Traitor and the lost Miraculous Box,” the girl said, her voice filled with confidence despite the many eyes now focused solely on her. _

_ “Is that so? You think yourself wise enough to make such a decision alone?” The man who had first spoken asked, his voice sounding patronizing. _

_ “As a matter of fact, I do. _ You _ are the one who wishes to send us, are you not? Why, then, should we not be capable of making such a decision for ourselves?” She challenged. _

_ “You forget your place, young lady. This behavior is exactly why-” the robed woman who had spoken out against sending them stepped forward, but the blonde girl was quick to cut her off. _

_ “I assure you, I haven’t forgotten my place, Lady Dohna. Quite the opposite, actually. Whether you like it or not, I am the Leader of the Order of the Lion. The Guardians elected me, they handpicked the members of my team. We are not children anymore. We are trained, we are capable, and it should be up to us whether or not we feel up to this task,” the girl said fiercely, glaring hard at the robed woman until she unconsciously took a step back. There were several beats of silence before the sound of slow clapping echoed through the room and another man stepped forward, causing the rest of the room’s occupants to immediately drop down into a kneeling position and bow their heads. _

_ “That was very well put, my dear. I couldn’t have said it better myself,” he stated, approaching the now kneeling girl. _

_ “Thank you, Grand Master,” she said demurely, risking a quick glance up. She squeaked when she realized the imposing figure was now standing directly before her and quickly dropped her eyes once more. _

_ “Rise, Nima,” he commanded, and she immediately rose to her feet. “You are correct. You are the Leader of the Order, and it is your choice whether you think your team is ready to face such a challenge or not,” he explained, and Nima was so surprised she found herself breaking protocol to lift her eyes and meet those of the Grand Master. There was a surprisingly warm twinkle in the depths of his brown eyes that had her relaxing internally, even as she stood up a bit straighter and glanced towards where her friends were waiting for her. Taking a deep breath, she nodded and faced the Grand Master once more. _

_ “The Order of the Lion would be honored to retrieve the Traitor and the Miracle Box, Grand Master,” she said firmly, a stubborn and prideful tilt to her chin. The Grand Master studied her thoughtfully and then gave a decisive not. _

_ “Let it be known that the Order of the Lion has my blessing to carry out this mission by any means necessary. Pack your bags, my dear. You and your teammates leave at dawn.” _


	2. Chapter 2

Marinette Dupain-Cheng groaned as she rushed up the front steps of College Francoise Dupont, right as the final bell rang and signaled that she was (once again) late for school. The fight against Feast three nights ago had taken a lot out of her, and unfortunately, Master Fu hadn’t been kidding when he had informed her that he intended to train her to become the next Guardian. Since Feast had happened on a Thursday, Marinette had spent practically the whole weekend learning all about the Guardians and their history from Master Fu. On the one hand, the history of the Guardians and the Miraculous truly was fascinating and she was learning more than she ever thought she would. She had even gotten a chance to get to meet a few of the other Kwamis and learn more about them and the powers they possessed. On the other hand, she felt like her brain was going to explode from information overload and to make matters worse, she had been out late on patrol with Chat Noir and gotten very little sleep after finishing the homework she had been neglecting in favor of Guardian Lessons. Being up half the night meant she had slept in, missing most of her alarms, and she’d had to race to school without breakfast in hopes of making it in time. A fat lot of good that had done.

Racing up the steps to the second floor of her school and down the hall, Marinette skidded to a halt in front of her classroom door. Slowly, carefully, she inched the door open and peeked inside. She fully expected Madame Bustier to chastise her for being late-again-but instead found that the redheaded teacher wasn’t even in the class yet! Stepping fully into the room in confusion, she quickly attracted the attention of Alya Cesaire, her best friend, who urgently waved at her to join her in their seats. Making her way to her normal seat, Marinette slid onto the bench and set her backpack down before giving her best friend a puzzled look. “Where’s Madame Bustier?” She asked, leaning closer to her best friend while eyeing the other occupants of the room. Aside from their teacher’s notable absence, nothing else seemed to be too out of the ordinary. In front of them, Nino was bobbing his head and drumming his pencil on the desk to whatever he was listening to, while Adrien was trying to discreetly read some manga that he had hidden within the pages of the classic novel, Pride and Prejudice. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought it looked like  _ Kaichou wa Maid-Sama _ , one of her favorites.

Across the aisle, Sabrina was fanning Chloe while the aforementioned blonde was busy filing her nails. Kim and Alex were busy debating some competition with Max and Markov hovering nearby, while Rose, Juleka, and Mylene were sitting in the back listening as Lila spun what was no doubt another of her tall tales. The rest of the class also appeared to be doing perfectly normal activities that they would usually be doing on any given day when they weren’t otherwise busy. So why did Marinette feel like their lack of a teacher meant something significant was about to happen. There was this feeling deep in her gut that told her that something wasn’t quite right. Beside her, Alya glanced up from her phone where she appeared to be browsing through comments on her latest Ladyblog post.

“I don’t know, she wasn’t here when I got here. You should be happy though. You won’t be marked late for once,” the auburn-haired girl joked before turning back to her phone. Marinette offered up a weak smile before reluctantly pulling out her Sketchbook in hopes of distracting herself. But no matter how hard she tried to focus on the new dress she was designing, the uneasy feeling refused to leave her.

  
  
  


The car pulled to a halt at the curb and Nima took a moment to look up at the building before her through the tinted windows. Compared to the temple she called home, and frankly most of Paris’ landmarks and architecture, College Francoise Dupont Middle School was a bit of a letdown. A simple two-story building with what looked like it might be a rooftop greenhouse. Opening the door, she stepped out of the car and moved aside for her three companions to join her. Though she wouldn’t say it out loud, she felt weird in her current attire. So used to wearing loose-fitting robes for most of her life, the jeans, and tee-shirt that Rinzen had insisted she wears felt tight and constrictive. Speaking of, it was Rinzen who followed her out of the car first, bursting out into the open like a ball of pure energy. Her wide blue eyes took everything in as she spun in a circle, her too-short skirt twirling around her and lifting scandalously high on her bare thighs. After her came Karma, looking like she would rather be anywhere else in the world but there, and Dechen who just looked bored out of his mind.

“Show a bit of decorum, Rinzen. There could be people watching,” Karma said, shooting the more energetic girl a withering glare. 

“Oh, come on, Karm. Lighten up! This is an adventure,” Rinzen retorted, spinning on one foot and bouncing back a few steps so that she could properly face all of them. “Come on, aren’t you guys just the least bit excited?”

The other three shared a look before returning their gazes to the hopeful girl before them. As usual, it was Nima who took the lead on things, stepping forward and laying a comforting hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Of course we’re excited, Rin. None of us have ever been this far away from home. But… you have to remember, this isn’t a vacation. We have a job to do; the Grand Master is counting on us,” she said gently. The smaller girl’s shoulders drooped immediately, blue eyes looking crestfallen.

“Does that mean we can’t have even a little bit of fun?” She asked sadly, and in all honesty, Nima didn’t have the heart to completely break her younger twin sister’s heart. So instead she sighed and offered up a rueful smile and a shrug.

“Well no, I wouldn’t go that far. We are in Paris, after all. It makes sense that we have at least a  _ little _ bit of fun, right?” She asked with a smile. The broad grin that stretched across her sister’s face was definitely worth it, and she laughed as Rinzen leaped forward and threw her arms around her neck.

“You’re the  _ best _ , Nim!” She squealed. Nima hugged her back before physically extracting herself from her sister’s hold and turning to face their other two companions. Of the four of them, Dechen was the tallest. Standing just over six feet tall, he was all hard, lean muscle with shaggy brown hair that fell into normally unimpressed green eyes. He wore a simple black tee-shirt and dark wash jeans that were ripped strategically at the knees. Beside him, Karma was the second tallest. She was a tall, willowy girl standing at five foot nine inches with long, straight, raven-colored locks that fell down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were a deep grayish blue and the color tended to shift dependent upon her mood, which was most often annoyed. She was wearing a band tee-shirt for some French Rocker named Jagged Stone and a pair of shorts that showed off her long, tanned legs. Rinzen was the shortest of the group. A few inches shorter than her twin sister, she was a small and petite girl that appeared to still possess some of her baby fat. Her cheeks were round and cherubic, dusted with freckles and dominated by wide blue eyes. Thick, strawberry blonde curls framed her face. She was wearing a too-tight white shirt that fell off her shoulders and a pastel pink miniskirt that fell above the knee.

Last but not least, there was Nima herself. At just under five feet tall, she wasn’t all by any stretch of the word, even if she did have several inches on Rinzen. More conservative than her sister, she had opted for the simple jeans and tee-shirt look, and her golden blonde curls were half pinned up at the back of her head with a pink hair bow, while the rest tumbled around her slim shoulders. Like Rinzen, she was fair skin, her rosy cheeks dusted with freckles, but she wasn’t nearly as baby faced as her sister was and for that, she was grateful. If she looked identical to Rinzen, she wasn’t sure the other members of the Order would respect her as much as they did. However, the fact remained that they did respect her as their leader and it was up to her to set an example for how they must act.

“Is everyone ready?” She asked, blue eyes skirting over the faces of her three companions. Rinzen nodded like a bobblehead, Dechen gave an uninterested shrug, and Karma sighed but reluctantly gave a bob of her own head. “Excellent. Then let’s go. The sooner we integrate ourselves with our new classmates, the sooner we can start doing recon. The sooner we figure out who currently possesses the Ladybug Earrings and the Black Cat Ring, the better. They’re our main objective. Understood?”

“Yup!”

“Understood.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Nima nodded and turned towards the school once more. Taking a deep, calming breath, she tried to settle her already frayed nerves as she approached the school and climbed the steps up to the heavy looking double doors. She held the door open for her friends, following them into what appeared to be a courtyard that was open to the sky above. It kind of reminded her of the Prayer room back in Tibet, and her stomach twisted painfully as a bolt of homesickness washed through her. Temporary. This was only temporary. Before long, they would be back home where they belonged, the Miracle Box and the Traitor back in their custody. She had to believe that, lest she lose all hope. They were still looking around the courtyard when a woman approached them, a wide smile on her face. She was tall and slim, with bright teal eyes and red hair pulled back into a bun atop her head.

“Welcome. You must be the foreign exchange students that Principle Damocles told me about. My name is Caline Bustier, and I’ll be your homeroom teacher for this school year,” she said warmly, extending a hand. Nima took the initiative to shake the woman’s hand first, a polite smile fixed into place, followed by Rinzen, Karma, and finally Dechen.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Madame Bustier. We look forward to learning from you,” the blonde said with a polite smile.

“Well then, let’s not keep the other students waiting. I’m sure they’ll be eager to meet you!” The woman said, turning on her heel and striding away. The four exchanged a look before following her up the stairs to the second level and down the hall until they finally reached the door to what would be their classroom for the foreseeable future. Nima took another deep, calming breath. She nearly leapt out of her skin when a large, warm hand brushed against her wrist. Glancing to the side, she found Dechen standing beside her. His gaze was faced forward, and she was beginning to wonder if she had imagined the contact when it happened again. Featherlight, easy to miss if you weren’t completely attuned to the other person, his fingers brushed lightly against her wrist. His gaze flicked briefly towards hers, face cracking from its mask of stoicism just long enough for him to flash her a half-smile and a wink before he faced forward and resumed his impassive look. Nima dropped her gaze, cheeks warming as a small, secretive smile curved her own lips. And if she let her fingers lightly brush against his wrist as well… well, no one would be the wiser except for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The relationship between Nim and Dechen is a complicated one, to say the least. These four have known each other their whole lives just about, and I don't wanna go into too much detail because their history is meant to come out in bits and pieces through the story, some as flashbacks, to just better give you some insight as to why these four were chosen for such an important role in the temple and why they're as insanely close as they are. I will say that none of them have parents. They're all orphans and are really the closest they have to a family with the exception of Nim, who has a special parent-child-mentor-apprentice type bond with one member of the Guardians, which you will see in more detail through flashbacks as the story continues.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda short but it was a good place to stop

“Good morning, students,” Madame Bustier finally stepped into the room around fifteen minutes after the bell rang, and those not at their tables scrambled to return to their seats as she moved towards her desk and turned to face them. “I apologize for my delayed arrival. However, I have some exciting news! Starting today, you will have four new classmates.” Immediately a ripple of voices spread throughout the room, but they quickly quieted down when the door creaked open. From her spot one row back from the front of the room, Marinette found herself leaning forward in her seat to catch a glimpse of the new students, while Alya lifted up her cellphone, the video function already rolling. On the one hand, the ravenette was kind of excited at the prospect of new students. New students meant new potential friends. On the other hand, the last new student had been Lila and that hadn’t exactly bode well for the pigtailed girl. Lila was still trying to do everything in her power to ruin Marinette’s reputation, even if most of her classmates weren’t as easily swayed as they had been in the beginning.

As she watched, a girl stepped into the classroom. She was petite, probably around Marinette’s height or maybe even shorter, with blonde curls and vivid blue eyes. Following her, a nearly identical girl with a rounder face and strawberry blonde hair, a girl with straight raven-black hair and storm colored eyes, and a boy with messy brown hair who towered over all three of them. Judging by their body language, Marinette guessed the four were close. They remained close together, following the first girl as she strode into the center of the room and turned to face the class. It was obvious from their body language that the blonde girl had taken it upon herself, or perhaps was elected, as the group's spokesperson. The way she held herself was confident, self-assured, and perhaps a bit protective.

“Why don’t you introduce yourselves?” Madame Bustier prompted. As expected, it was the petite blonde who spoke up.

“Hello. My name is Nima. This is my sister, Rinzen, and our two close friends, Karma and Dechen,” she introduced, pointing to each one in turn.

“Why don’t you tell us a bit about yourselves. Where are you from, and what brought you to France?” Bustier prompted.

“We’re from Tibet. We were all orphaned at a young age and raised by the same man, who has homeschooled us most of our lives. He thought that moving to France for the school year might better prepare us for the world. We come from a very small mountain village, so we’ve never been anywhere quite like France, let alone somewhere as densely populated as Paris,” Nima said with a shrug.

“We are just so excited to meet all of you and we hope to make friends with each and every one of you,” the smaller, strawberry blonde girl piped up, grinning widely. She reminded Marinette vaguely of Rose, but far more outgoing and enthusiastic.

“Tibet? You mean like where that temple reappeared out of thin year?” Alya asked, suddenly rising beside Marinette and leaning forward. Looking up at her friend. Marinette could tell that Alya had scented a story and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.

“That is correct,” Nima confirmed.

“Any affiliation with the Temple? What do you know about the Temples’ link to the Guardians and the Miraculous Users?” Alya demanded, eyes shining behind her glasses. The four newcomers exchanged looks with one another and Marinette couldn’t be sure, but she thought she saw Nima’s gaze harden, even as her smile stayed firmly into place. She would be lying if she didn’t admit that she, too, wasn’t a bit intrigued. Unfortunately, it seemed none of Alya’s questions would be answered quite yet.

“I appreciate your enthusiasm, Alya. But this isn’t an interrogation. Our new friends just arrived, and we should give them time to settle in before you start trying to interview them for your blog,” Madame Bustier chastised gently. From the front of the room the boy, who had yet to say a word to anyone, perked up with interest and fixed Alya with a thoughtful look.

“You run a blog?”

“Only the most informative and accurate blog on all things superhero related,” Nino was quick to pipe up, proud of his girlfriend’s accomplishments. “She’s considered an expert on all things Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

“And this Ladybug and Chat Noir… they’re Miraculous Holders, correct?” Dechen continued, eyes narrowing in thought. Beside him, Nima nudged him sharply with his elbow, but he didn’t so much as blink.

“That’s right,” Alya confirmed. “They’re fighting to protect Paris from Hawkmoth!”

“And do they have any… other… partners fighting alongside them?” Dechen pressed.

“Only when they need them the most, but yeah. Let’s see, there’s been Rena Rogue and Carapace, Queen Bee, Viperion…” She ticked off her fingers before shrugging. “A few others, but those are the most frequently called upon, or most notable of their allies.”

“Fascinating,” Dechen said smoothly, shooting a meaningful glance at his companions before offering a charming smile at the bespectacled girl that was still holding her camera aloft as the conversed. “Perhaps we can get together sometime and discuss further the intricacies of the local Superheroes?”

“That’d be great!” Alya enthused, even as that bad feeling Marinette had gotten that morning reared its head once more. There was something off about these newcomers, something that urged her not to trust them. She had a feeling that they weren’t being entirely truthful, and that perhaps they had some sort of ulterior motives for coming to this school. She just didn’t know what it was. One way or another, however, she was determined to find out what they were hiding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme Know What You Think!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Dechen and Nima POVs and you get to meet one of the Kwami!

Dechen had never been a very expressive guy. Even as a small child, he had kept his thoughts and feelings tightly under lock and key. So it came as no surprise to his friends when he had very little to say on the matter of their impending trip to France. Quite frankly, he hadn’t cared one way or another. From the very beginning, Nim was the glue that held their group together, and he had vowed not long after meeting her that he would follow her to the ends of the earth. Suffice it is to say, he fully intended to honor that promise. Following her to France had been a cakewalk, in the grand scheme of things. After all, he allowed her to influence just about every other decision he had made thus far in the eleven years since they had met. So here they were, in beautiful Paris, France, far away from the temple they had called home for pretty much their whole lives. Dechen could admit to himself that he was at least a little excited for the adventure that lay ahead. Even if this trip was mostly intended for work purposes, as Nim had reminded them that morning.  
Dechen hadn’t been raised in the Temple from infancy, the way Rinzen and Nima were, but he had been raised in Tibet. He was born in a small mountain village not unlike the one they had spoken about in their cover story, where he had lived with his parents and older sister. The town was small, isolated, and far removed from the rest of the world, much like the Guardian’s Temple, so this would be a learning experience. Everyone he knew in this world, up to this point, he had practically grown up around. Meeting so many new people at once was more than a little daunting, not that he would ever admit that to his friends. As far as they were concerned, he was this unflappable, immovable being that didn’t allow anything to affect him emotionally. It was a mask he had worked hard to achieve, one he kept in place even on the few occasions when he allowed himself to let his guard down.  
Surveying the class now, only listening with half an ear as Madame Bustier directed them to their new seats, Dechen couldn’t help but wonder what new challenges they would now have to face and how it might affect the four of them. How would four kids, who had admittedly grown up in relative isolation, deal with a heavily populated city? How would they learn to fit in and cope with the societal differences already being presented before them? It hadn’t escaped his notice that Nim already looked distinctly uncomfortable in the clothes she was wearing, despite Rin’s insistence that she looked beautiful and Karma’s assurances that she didn’t look terrible. If one could count that as any sort of assurance at all. He supposed he could have been a bit more forthcoming with an opinion of his own, rather than just grunting noncommittally when Rin had asked for his opinion. But in all honesty, he was a boy who had forever been outnumbered by girls when it came to his chosen friend group and he figured it would probably be safer to keep his mouth shut. Even if he did think that their robes really hadn’t done justice to Nim, or the slim figure that he was most definitely not studying out of the corner of his eye right now.  
Giving himself a mental shake, he followed the three girls silently up the steps to the back of the classroom where the two remaining empty tables sat. Normally, Dechen would expect Rin and Nim to sit together, leaving the two quieter ones in their friend group to sit together. Today, however, he was surprised to find himself being almost forcefully dragged down onto one of the benches by Nim. Lifting his gaze to meet hers, he wasn’t entirely too surprised to see a storm brewing in the cerulean depths of her gaze, even as her facial expression remained light and friendly. Nima rarely manhandled anyone unless she was particularly pissed off, and apparently he had done something to direct her ire at him. Fan-fucking-tastic. Trying to figure out what it was he had done to piss her off this time, Dechen pulled a notebook and pencil from his bag to take notes as the teacher began her lesson at the front of the room. He didn’t get a chance to so much as date the first page of the spiral notebook before Nim was pulling it towards herself. He suppressed a sigh and ignored the sympathetic looks he could feel being cast his way by the two girls sitting at the table beside theirs. It didn’t take long for the notebook to be shoved back towards him, along with a pointed frown from his irritated tablemate.  
Nima: What do you think you’re doing?  
Dechen: You’re going to have to be a little more specific, Nim. I am many things, but a mind reader I am not.  
Nima: Why were you asking all those questions? We’re trying to lay low!  
Dechen: I thought the whole point of all of this was to gather intel. The blogger seems like she could offer up some valuable information.  
Nima: That may be true, but we don’t want to come across as too interested. For all we know, those ‘heroes’ they speak of could be in our class!  
Dechen: You really think Fu chose a bunch of untrained teenagers to protect Paris from a supervillain? Surely he isn’t that stupid.  
Nima: Need I remind you that we’re teenagers as well?  
Dechen: Well sure, but we were handpicked by the Grand Master. We were raised and trained to wield our Miraculouses from the time we were kids.  
Nima: Regardless, I think it would be wise to avoid asking too many questions. At least until I can get a hold of a computer and look up these so-called heroes. Don’t forget, Ladybug and Chat Noir might be trying to help Paris, but until they hand over their Miraculouses, they’re just as much our enemies as Fu and Hawkmoth.  
Dechen didn’t really have a response for that, so he reclaimed his notebook, flipping to a fresh page and trying to focus on the lesson that Madame Bustier was currently giving at the front of the room. Unfortunately, it was difficult to comprehend a lesson on the history of the world when he had basically not existed for the last two hundred years. That was another thing they would have to research. Growing up in isolation could only be used as an excuse for so long. They would need to, at the very least, figure out some of the major world events that had happened within the last two centuries if they wanted to avoid looking suspicious. In the end, his note-taking didn’t really get far and before he knew it, they were being shuffled off to their next class with the rest of their classmates.

  
When the bell rang for lunch, Nima forced herself to suppress a sigh or relief. She hated feeling so overwhelmed and helpless, but even if she hadn’t missed out on the last two centuries, high school was hard. At the temple, children got daily lessons by a select number of qualified individuals on various subjects. The classes were small, and most of them had been grouped together since their lessons started at age four. Here, classes were split up by subjects and unfortunately not all of her classes were with her friends. She knew it was silly; she was the Order’s Leader and as such, she was used to leading by example. She strived for perfection, rarely allowing her emotions to get the best of her. She couldn’t help being on edge, however, when she had found herself in a classroom surrounded by strangers and without her typical support system around her. It was a new feeling. She didn’t like to think that she was dependent upon Dechen, Karma, and Rinzen, but her emotions seemed to think otherwise. Luckily, it was lunchtime and they had agreed to meet up in the courtyard before getting food and plotting out their next course of action.   
She decided to stop in the bathroom first, taking care to check that she was well and truly alone before she opened her jacket to release her Kwami. The small creature zipped out, twirling happily through the air at his newfound freedom before finally floating down to hover in front of her face. Liio was the Kwami of Courage. The Lion. He was a lithe little creature with tan fur, a thick golden brown mane, and bright gold eyes that watched her with warmth and patience. There was an understanding in his gold irises that comforted her and made her feel just a little less lonely.  
“I thought I would never get out of there! I don’t believe I recall the lessons at the temple ever being quite so tedious,” Liio rumbled, stretching his nubby arms and flicking his tufted tail languidly. Nima offered him a rueful smile and reached up to poke him playfully in the stomach.  
“It probably doesn’t help that you have to hide the whole time. I’ll have to figure out a way for you to hide without being stuck in my jacket or my pocket all day,” she responded thoughtfully, turning her gaze to the mirror that sat behind the Kwami. Reaching up, she fiddled with her thick golden curls for a moment before deciding that there wasn’t much she could do to stop them from becoming a frizzy mess by the end of the day. She would have to find some better products on their trip to the store after school. Liio, watching her fretful grooming, rolled his eyes and sighed.  
“I don’t see why you don’t like your hair. I daresay it’s as luxurious as my own mane,” he preened, fluffing up his mane for emphasis. It was one of the few things they argued about. Nima had a love hate relationship with her hair that tended to err on the side of hate. The thick curls were almost impossible to tame, and when she did manage to tame them they always ended up a frizzy mess by the end of the day. She had considered cutting her hair, or straightening it, but she was always afraid that she would make the problem worse. Plus, Rinzen would most likely murder her. Like Liio, her sister inexplicably loved her hair.  
“If you say so. Now come on, we have to go meet the others and figure out how we’re going to find Fu and get those Miraculouses back,” she said, opening her jacket. Liio immediately zipped inside and, with one last distasteful look at her hair, Nima left the bathroom in search of her friends.

**Author's Note:**

> Lemme Know What You Think!


End file.
